I had to share this precious photo sent to me by a “music mom”. I am sure this little student was overcome with exhaustion after a particularly productive practice session. I wonder if she was dreaming of playing at Carnegie Hall?
For a musician, nothing is worse than an instrument that is not in tune. Sour notes can be as nauseating as sour milk. Musicians heavily rely on their ear to determine accuracy of notes, intervals, tone, shading, balance and touch. You can imagine how difficult it would be to gauge all of these things if…
I love mazes…the big ones made out of shrubs or corn stalks or stone. The ones that you enter into and wander through blindly, hoping each turn will bring you closer to the exit. Sometimes you hit a dead end and have to double back, sometimes you find yourself back at the beginning and have to…
Growing pains. They are part of the maturing process. They can be physical in nature but many times they are emotional. Even more painful is watching your child or student work their way through the inevitable discomfort of growth. Yet, looking back on my career, it is the moments after unrest that hold the greatest of victories. Early…
The weather is getting warmer (well hotter actually!) and exams are fast approaching. Classes at The Music Box are beginning to wind down. By the end of June all keyboard classes will be finished for the summer, but that doesn’t mean the music books and pianos should become dust collectors for the next 8 weeks…
I love the following words from Haim Ginott. I first read it when I was an undergrad in university. It was in the “Ask Ada” column of the city paper and I cut it out. I still have that worn piece of newsprint and the passage has been my own personal teaching guideline ever since….
When I was a young child, the music played in my home was largely country and rock or hymns. Of course I had my own music too…Sesame Street, Anne Murray’s Hippo in My Bathtub, Mother Goose Favourites and the like. There was always music playing or being played but I didn’t receive a great deal of exposure…
